Melodeon



UNITE` STATES PATENT OFFICE.

A. L. SWAN, OF CHERRY VALLEY, NEVV YORK.

MELODEON.

Specficaton of Letters Patent No. 8,792, dated March 9, 1852.

To a/Z whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, A. L. SWAN, of lherry Valley, in the county ofOtsego and .State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulimprovements in Melodeons and Melo'pines and other Keyed W'indTnstruments of a Similar Nature; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of thisspecification, in which- Figure l, is a transverse vertical section of amelodeon, complete. Fig. 2, is a transverse vertical section of the airreceiving box or chamber. Fig. 3, is a longitu'dinal vertical section ofthe same. V

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts ineach of theseveral figures. I

My first improvement relates to the exhausting bellows or apparatus forcausing a draft of air through the reed, and consists of a. new mode ofconstruct-ing the air receiving' box which is in connection with orforms part of the exhausting bellows; by which three desirable resultsare obtained, viz: 1st. An exhausting apparatus so constructed is madeto exhaust nearly double the quantity of air to that exhausted by anordinary exhausting apparatus occupying the same space. 2nd. It producesa peculiarly strong and ringing-tone. 3rd.

It exhausts with equal power at all times,

' no matter what is the position of the movable flap or top of thereceiving box, and thus the strength or power of a note is sustaineduniform for as long a time as the apparatus remains exhausting.

My second improvement relates to a simple and convenient mode ofworking` the bellows or exhausting pump, by which the operation isrendered more easy to the player.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I willproceed to describe its construction and operation commencing with thefirst named improvement.

A A represents the case of the melodeon, in the front part of whichpartitioned off by the board B running the whole length of theinstrument the different parts are arranged in ordinary manner;therefore no description further than a slight reference is necessary.

C, is one of the finger keys which is shown pressed clown upon themovable vertical pin (o). This acts upon the valve D which is shownopen.

cZ, is one of the reeds.

The back partv of the case extending the whole length of the instrumentforms an oblong box E from which under the partition B thereis a passageb, leading to the valves and reeds; this box E is the air receiving box.The top F, or movable section of the box, is connected by wings c, o toits upper edges all around; these wings all fold inward toward themiddle of the box and are of such dept-h as to allow the top F todescend nearly to the bottom of the box:

Gr, is the' spring for forcing up the top F and opening or expanding theinside of' H, is the valve leading to the pump or exhausting bellowswhich is the same as in other instruments having a valve I, in

the lower section J. I

The air is exhausted from the box E by the bellows or pump J and whenthe valves D, are opened the external air rushing into thebox in thedirection of the arrows l, 1, causes the vibration of the reeds andproduces the sound; in Fig. l, the box is sho-wn about halfpexhausted;in Fig. 2, the box is shown full of air, but the top is represented bythe red lines as drawn down and the air nearly all exhausted. It will beunderstood that the spring is strongest when in the position shown inred lines in Fig. 2 and the box nearly exhausted and Weakest when thetop is raised, and the box full of air. Now when the spring is strongestthe top would rise quickest and cause the strongest current of air ifits effect Were not by some means count-eracted, which it is by theaction of the pressure of the atmosphere upon the wings c, c, whosetendency to close or contract the box increases with the tendency of thespring to open or expand it; being greatestwhen the top F is lowered andthe box exhausted as shown by the red lines in Fig. 2 and decreasing asthe top rises and the box fills with air, until when the box is quitefull as shown in the same figure, and the spring is nearly or quiteexhausted the pressure on the wings ceases. By this means the tendencyof the top F to rise is always uniform and the draft or current of airis is this`uniformity of draft which is so great a desideratum ininstruments of this kind and which is wanting in the ordinary exhaustingapparatus, which is represented open in the diagram, Fig. ll, the redlines in the same figure representing` it closed. By referring to thisfigure it will be seen that the external pressure of the atmosphere uponthe wings e, e tends to close or contract the receiving box K and thisclosing tendency increases the spring weakens, and becomes less able toovercome it, consequently the box expands or opens more slowly as itfills and the current of air becomes gradually weaker, producing a notewhich decreases gradually in strength until it almost dies away beforethe box is filled.

I will now proceed with the description of the second part of myinvention. L, Fig. 1, is a treadle which is jointed at its back end by apin to a Vibrating rod M, attached to the floor or to any suitableobject below the instrument and also at about the middle of its lengthto a similar vibrating rod N, which may be of the same length as VI. Arod 0 connects the treadle to the lower or movable section of theexhausting bellows or pump. The spring inside the bellows always raisesthe treadle to the position inclicated by the red lines until it isdepressed by other means. If the player placed his heel upon the floorat a suitable distance from the end of the treadle which he will soondetermine by practice and keeps up a gentle rocking motion with hisfoot, the vibratory bars will be thrown back by the pressure of the footand the treadle depressed so as to draw clown the movable section J, thespring raising it every time the foot is raised or drawn back. Thedifference between this treadle and an ordinary treadle for operatingthe bellows is ths: In working a treadle hung 1n the ordnary way, thecurves described by the end of the treadle and by the foot are inopposite directions, and the foot must slide or move along the part ofthe treadle on which it bears. A roller has been applied to the treadleto ease this motion and reduce the friction, but even then an unpleasantsensation is caused to the sole of the foot. My improved mode of hangingthe treadle causes the part upon which the foot rests to move in a curvein the same direction as the foot and the foot remains nearly stationaryupon it, the sliding motion being entirely obviated and the necessityfor the roller removed. The motions of the end of the treadle and ofthat part of the foot which bears upon it, are described by the dottedred line in Fig. l.

That I now claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentis l. Constructing the air receiving box of a melodeon or other keyedwind instrument of a similar nature which is operated by an exhaustingbellows or pump, with a vibrating or movable top F, connected to it bywings or joints c, c, which fold or bend substantially in the mannerdescribed, toward the external air which acts upon them whereby theexternal air acting upon the said wings counteracts the nequality of theforce exerted by the spring placed inside to open or expand and enlargethe interior capacity of the box.

The manner of hanging the treadle, L, for operating the bellows, uponthe two vibrating rods, M, and N, attached to the fioor or to any objectunder the instrument substantially as herein set forth.

O. H. ELDRIDGE, CALVIN HILLMAN.

